Installing Linux as a new user/Windows Gamer

[AndyND]

So I have been a Windows user for the longest time and I want to dual boot with some version of Linux.I am oriented towards gaming, so please recommend me the best version for gaming.Anyways, I want to dualboot Linux with windows, and I have a 60gb SSD with my main windows on it, 500 gb split into 300 for games and 200 for another spare windows 7.I would like to replace the spare windows 7 with a version of linux

Here are my drives:

https://gyazo.com/9bbca094248f3d8ae68c43ff7e11aa94
I would like to install it on drive E.
Could it be done without formatting the full HDD? I have a lot of pictures on F Drive and wouldn't like losing them.I could format E

Thanks in advance - Andy

 

[atanere]

Hi @AndyND, and welcome to the forums! Installing any operating system is risky, and it is very easy for a new Linux user to make simple mistakes during the installation process. Because your photos are stored on the same physical drive that you want to install Linux, I cannot overemphasize that you should back up those photos to another location or another hard drive. If you make a newbie mistake, you could lose them, and no one wants you to get a bitter taste of Linux like that.

Linux does not refer to drives or partitions with letters such as C: D: E: and F: --- instead, because you have 2 physical drives, you would see one drive referenced as /dev/sda and the other drive referenced as /dev/sdb --- and partitions would look like /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2, and then /dev/sdb1 and/dev/sdb2. The Linux installer has a section for partitioning so you can tell it where to put Linux, and you would need to carefully note which partition matches the size of your E: drive to install it there. Linux will also ask you in the installer where you want to put the "bootloader" because Windows will not recognize Linux. You would normally choose /dev/sda for the bootloader (the Linux bootloader is called GRUB), and when your system starts the GRUB menu will give you 10 seconds to choose Windows, but it defaults to Linux. This can be trouble later if you want to remove Linux because you will need to restore the Windows bootloader.

So, the decision to keep going is up to you. I would usually suggest instead that you download a few Linux versions and install them to USB sticks or DVD and test it out for awhile before you commit to installing. Or you can install VirtualBox in Windows and then install Linux in VirtualBox as a "virtual machine" to test it out. You can delete and install new virtual machines to explore different versions, or run many versions if you have enough hard drive space.

I'm not a gamer, so I have very little advice about that. You can't play most Windows games in Linux, as far as I know, but there are some things, like Steam games, that are possible. Some Windows games will run under "Wine" (a special application made to run Windows apps), and some old DOS-based games can be run under DOSBox if you like that sort of stuff. I'm sure others here can help you more with gaming questions.

Cheers!

 

[AndyND]

As of now, I have successfully installed Ubuntu 17.04 on my hard drive and it works fine.Altough I double checked the partitioning part to see if I am not reading it wrong, but even so, I had the pictures backed up on a stick.
Thanks for the tips.
Cheers

 

[atanere]

As of now, I have successfully installed Ubuntu 17.04 on my hard drive and it works fine.Altough I double checked the partitioning part to see if I am not reading it wrong, but even so, I had the pictures backed up on a stick.

My understanding is that Ubuntu is a good choice for Steam (but maybe others work just as well... I don't really know).

Although 17.04 is the latest Ubuntu version, it is not "Long Term Support (LTS)"... so it will reach end of life and stop being supported in January of next year. You may or may not have been aware of that when you picked it. I tend to recommend the LTS versions so you avoid the hassle of replacing or upgrading it so soon.

But since you have it up and running, I would say just keep it now and start the process of learning Linux. When the support for it ends in January, you may even stall for a few more months as the next LTS Ubuntu is due to be released in April 2018. LTS versions have a 5-year support life, so 18.04 will be good until April of 2023.

Have fun! Hope you find the games you like!